Akera bullata, named the royal flush sea slug,[5] is a species of sea snail (or sea slug), a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Akeridae, a family that is related to the sea hares.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] This species is the only European representative of the genus Akera.
| Akera bullata | |
|---|---|
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| drawing of Akera bullata | |
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| Shell of Akera bullata | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Aplysiida |
| Superfamily: | Akeroidea |
| Family: | Akeridae |
| Genus: | Akera |
| Species: | A. bullata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Akera bullata O. F. Müller, 1776[1]
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| Synonyms | |
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Distribution
editThis species occurs from Norway to the Canaries, and also in the Mediterranean.[13][14][15]
Ecology
editThis is a herbivorous bottom dweller (up to 370 m deep), which feeds on seagrasses in the genera Zostera and Posidonia.[citation needed]
Description
editThe body of this sea hare can reach a maximum length of about 6 cm. Its coloration varies from gray to orange, often with white or dark specks. The shell is fragile, smooth, and can be either white or brown. This sea hare is not an agile swimmer. When disturbed, it uses its broad parapodia — fleshy protrusions held together in a funnel shape above the head — to paddle away. [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]
Synonyms
editAcera bullata is an orthographic variant[4] with considerable currency.
The NLBIF lists a large number of synonyms in addition to the above; including: Bulla akera (Gmelin, J.F., 1791),[24] Bulla norwegica (Bruguière, J.G., 1789),[24] Bulla canaliculata (Olivi, 1792), Bulla resiliens (Donovan, E., 1801),[24] Bulla fragilis (Lamarck, J.B.P.A. de, 1822),[24] Akera flexilis (Brown, 1844), Bulla hanleyi (Adams A. in Sowerby G.B. II, 1850/1855),[24] Eucampe donovani (Leach, W.E., 1852),[24] Bulla elastica (Sandri & Danilo, 1856), Acera bullata var. nana (Jeffreys, 1867), Acera elegans (Locard, 1886), Bulla farrani (Norman, 1890), Bulla globosa (Cantraine, F.J., 1840),[24][25] Akera tenuis (Brusina, S., 1866)[24] and Akera farrani (Winckworth, R., 1932).[22][24][26][27]
References
edit- ^ Müller O. F. (1776). Zoologiæ Danicæ prodromus, seu animalium Daniæ et Norvegiæ indigenarum characteres, nomina, et synonyma imprimis popularium. pp. I-XXXII [= 1-32], 1-274. Havniæ. (Hallager). page 242.
- ^ "ION: Index to Organism Names".
- ^ Fauna der Kieler bucht. Leipzig, W. Engelmann. 1865.
- ^ a b "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Akera bullata O. F. Müller, 1776".
- ^ "'Cutpurse wasp' wins species naming competition". The Guardian. 2012-07-24. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
- ^ http://www.eol.org/pages/451975[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Namebank Record Detail".
- ^ "Namebank Record Detail".
- ^ "Namebank Record Detail".
- ^ "Record Details - Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility (CBIF)". 14 December 2021.
- ^ http://www.catalogueoflife.org/show_species_details.php?record_id=855776[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Search".
- ^ http://www.iobis.org/OBISWEB/ObisControllerServlet?category=all&names=data&action=lookupbyname&searchCategory=&classificationCode=&view=searchResults&category=&autocomplete=n&searchTypeSelect=%2FSciNameServlet&searchName=Akera%20bullata#[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Search".
- ^ "GBIF". Archived from the original on 2015-07-02. Retrieved 2010-03-08.[0].s=20&c[0].p=0&c[0].o=13780485
- ^ "ION: Index to Organism Names". www.organismnames.com. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ "ION: Index to Organism Names".
- ^ "ION: Index to Organism Names".
- ^ http://www.catalogueoflife.org/show_reference_details.php?record_id=855776[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Marine Species Identification Portal : Akera bullata".
- ^ "MarBEF Data System - ERMS - Akera bullata O. F. Müller, 1776".
- ^ a b "Akera bullata". Gastropods.com. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
- ^ "The Sea Slug Forum - Akera bullata". 2010-07-15.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Marine Mollusca of the Faroes. p. 95.
- ^ (in German) European Marine Snails. p. 26
- ^ "NLBIF : Akera bullata O. F. Muller, 1776". Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
- ^ "Marine Species Identification Portal : Akera bullata".
Further reading
edit
- Proposed use of the Plenary Powers for the purpose of securing that the name bullata Muller (O. F.), 1776, as published in the combination Akera bullata, shall be the oldest available name for the species currently so known (Class Gastropoda).
- Ecology and taxonomic status of the aplysiomorph Akera bullata in the British Isles.
- The marine fauna of the Sizewell area 1: brackish lagoons.
- Akera bullata Mueller O.F., 1792 in the southeastern Mediterranean (Israel).
- Marine invertebrates.
- Phylogenetic analysis of learning-related neuromodulation in molluscan mechanosensory neurons.
- Die Conchylien des Mittelmeers. Band ii. Mollusca cephala.
- Hayward, P.J., Wigham, G.D. & N. Yonow, 1990. Mollusca I: Polyplacophora, Scaphopoda, and Gastropoda. In: The Marine Fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe. (ed. P.J. Hayward & J.S. Ryland). Clarendon Press, Oxford: 628–730.
- Poppe, G.T. & Y. Goto, 1991. European Seashells. Vol. I. 352 pp. Wiesbaden/Verlag Christa Hemmen.
- Seaward, D.R., 1990. Distribution of the marine molluscs of north west Europe. Nature Conservancy Council.
- Sowerby, G.B., 1859: Illustrated Index of British Shells. London.
- Thompson, T.E., 1988. Molluscs: Benthic Opisthobranchs (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Synopses of the British fauna (NS), 8: 1–356.
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